aqua...aqua..

Will summed up the odd weather this year in 4 words: early winter, early spring. It never gets this warm in Maine this early, low 80's in April is unheard of, this is July weather. My body hasn't really been able to gradually acclimate and I've gotten a little overheated during my runs prepping for several 10Ks next month. I tried bringing along a bottle of water, but it gets warm really fast and the chugging sound makes me need to go... well you know. 

Last summer I was running a 7 mile loop and the battery of my walkman died so I stopped at the minimart a few miles from home and asked if I could have a AAA battery and come back to pay them after I finished running and showered. They said yes and with that thought in mind, I walked in the other day inquiring if I could run a credit to get bottled water. She kindly pulled out an envelope and wrote my name and phone number on it and stuck it with my enclosed $10 under the cash drawer. During yesterday's run I stopped in, grabbed a cold bottle out of the cooler, chugged half before getting to the register, and told the girl my name before continuing my run. 

Now this is not something I could imagine doing anywhere else I have lived, suburban retailers would have looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, "Can't do that," and a urban store would have likely just pocketed the money and said innocently when I came in, "What $10?" Yea, sometimes the cars (and school buses) get a little too close, and dead porcupines in the middle of the road aren't my idea of pretty scenery, but living in rural Maine certainly has its perks. Come July and August when I really ramp up the training for the County 1/2 marathon, I'm going to be really grateful for that ice cold bottle of aqua mineral senza gas (no bubbles) waiting for me.